Alone isn't the same as lonely.
There are times I feel lonely in a room full of friends. And there are times I am alone and very much content all by myself.

The most difficult are those moments when alone and lonely intersect. It feels like I'm strapped with weights, sinking fast toward the bottom of the ocean.

In those moments, it is difficult for me to remember that I can separate the two. That I don't have to feel lonely just because I am alone. I need to come up for air long enough to make that distinction.